As we approach mid-summer, do you feel like you're stuck in the in-between? Perhaps you have some fall or winter wellness, fitness, or athletic goals, but you want summer to feel less chaotic, less scheduled, and less goal oriented? Perhaps you've given up on the gym and noted that you'll sign up for a 30 day challenge to get back in shape after the school year starts.

Good news, you don't need to give up on your health, wellness, fitness, and athletic goals just because you crave an effortless and less hectic summer!

Here are my top 5 tips on how you can enjoy your summer and incorporate effortless fitness:

1--Give yourself permission to kick back and relax. Recognize that commitment to fitness goals often fades away in the summer unless you are in an organized sport league. Your body not only craves, but also needs relative recovery, and variety in activity and nutrition to stay balanced, healthy, and well. Embrace the variety that summer can offer instead of feeling like every second needs to be scheduled and goal-oriented. You may be surprised how well your body naturally aligns toward your goal-oriented efforts if you allow it a little freedom. However, this is not couch potato time; instead embrace a variety of activities, many of which can be unscheduled. This brings us to tip number two.

2--Go outside. Play. Walk. Enjoy. If you like the outdoors, this may be your best season to enjoy it. In an experiment with many fitness industry friends, we discovered that we were burning an average of 0.044 kcal/step walking! If we take 10,000 steps/day most days of the year, that would be just over 40 lbs. I must admit, I was in disbelief and we ran the calculation several times. The experiment proved a leading theory that daily steps do matter for those with weight management or physique goals, not to mention the metabolism booting, heart health, and stress management benefits too.

3--Hydrate. Keep it practical by carrying a water bottle or empty shaker bottle with you. Every time you get a chance to re-fill the water, do! As a general starting point, drink half your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weight 160 lbs, aim for 80 oz of water for starters. That would be ten 8-ounce glasses. If you are active, add a sip every 15 minutes, or a few sips every 30 minutes. If summer fun means enjoying alcohol, do so in moderation, as alcohol rarely aligns with sport performance or fitness goals.

4--Grab n' go snack basics. No need for cooking or fancy meal prep! If you plan to be outdoors, invest in good coolers & ice packs. I've been very pleased with Yeti for air travel and long days in the car, as well as 6 pack fitness for daily gym, work, and travel needs. Baby dishes with snap on lids are also perfect to hold all the grab n' go snacks for your whole family. What do I keep in them? Here are a few quick grab n' go ideas to help you get started:

• Starches: rice cakes, crackers, pretzels, mashed sweet potato, quinoa, baby rice cereal, rice
• Fruits: raisins, bananas, oranges, apples, grapes, melon cubes, pears
• Veggies: carrots, celery, mini peppers, and cherry tomatoes travel well
• Proteins: string cheese, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs, canned meats, lunch meats, sardines, leftovers, veggie burgers, Greek yogurt, beef or turkey jerky, protein powder
• Fats: nuts, chia seed

5--Workout motivation missing? No gym? No problem! Many health and wellness goals only need one 45 minute workout/week during the maintenance phase, and summer might be that time for you! Higher level fitness and physique goals can often be maintained in 2-3 45 minute workouts/week. You don't even need to go to the gym! Not sure where to begin? Start by picking an upper body, lower body, and core exercise. Rotate through them at reps to fatigue for three sets, then pick another three to rotate through. Here's an example: band rows, push ups, plank to fatigue. Looking for a total body do anywhere workout? Here's my most requested total body and core body weight workout (inspired by Pilates).

Looking for more workouts?

We are adding more Pilates, yoga, home workouts, and gym workout techniques every week. Subscribe to Dr. Meredith's YouTube channel to stay in the know on new releases.

Looking for more audio podcast-based fit tips & transformation inspirations to fuel your health, wellness, and fitness? We release 2 new episodes every month. Subscribe to the Healthy Lifestyle for Busy People Podcast on your favorite platform.

I hope you've enjoyed these tips for a summer of freedom and fun that can effortlessly support your fitness lifestyle. Feel free to leave thoughts, comments, and questions to continue the conversation!